Wait and See
F&D Cartier
Unfixed sheets of photographic paper and other materials, various dimensions and durations.
Switzerland 1998–ongoing
Image above: F&D Cartier, Wait and See, Kodak, March 24 – April 30, 2017, unfixed, only Kodak papers, 65 diverse B/B fiber-based expired Kodak papers, 1910–1980, from the artists' collection. Explosion from smallest to biggest usual formats. Kunst Bezirk Stuttgart, exhibition Get the Kodak..., March 24 – April 30, 2017.
Wait and See is the title of a series of site-specific installations that address what the artists define as “photo-graphy’s fundamentals: Light & Photosensitive materials. Without camera or dark room or chemicals.” Exemplifying the intersection of the Cartiers’ practices - Françoise, a plastic artist, Daniel, a photographer - the primary concrete medium on display is unfixed sheets of photographic paper (predominantly black and white) dating from anywhere between 1890 and 1980. Outdated and continually exposed to light during their exhibition, these sheets are unstable, ephemeral and unique (visual) objects. In part, a work of “concrete photography” (Jäger 2005), the Cartiers jettison key components of the normative photographic apparatus, principally camera and fixed image, reminding us of photography’s heterogeneous anatomy, inherent temporality and ever-present historical legacy. As Rory Duckhouse notes, “Revealed in the process is the advancement of technology, with newer papers reacting faster than their predecessors. Each paper has its own unique history and is left to develop its own future depending on its contact to light and the space.” (Barnaby Dicker)
F&D Cartier is the preferred designation of the collaborative partnership between Françoise and Daniel Cartier, born Switzerland, 1952 and 1952, respectively, where they continue to be based.
More images
1. F&D Cartier, from the series Wait and See
CLOUD, 50 different b/w papers from 6 x 9 to 50 x 60 cm, unfixed
CASCADES, 5 cut strips of *Gevaert paper roll, unfixed
*given by the archivist from the Musée de la Photographie Charleroi in 2016
Gevaert, Belgique
Document Rapid Paper DR 90 (90 gr/m2)
100 m x 35,6 cm/325 ft x 14
Expired 1940’s
Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, Farewell Fotografie, 2017
Wilhelm Hack Museum Ludwigshafen, September 5 – November 5, 2017
2. F&D Cartier, from the series Wait and See
Lumière de Pully, February 15 – April 2017, unfixed
Right wall: coincidences – opening date February 15, 2017 and paper expiration date February 15, 1944.
A.M. (Air Ministry) R.A.F. (Royal Air Force), UK.
War surplus, Bromide, 9 x 7 1/2 in.
Expired February 15, 1944
Musée d'art de Pully/VD, Suisse
Evidences du réel. La photographie face à ses lacunes.
3. F&D Cartier, from the series Wait and See
Bialystok Light, September 8 – October 30, 2017, unfixed
Left wall, top line: German b/w papers, Record-Bayer & Schleussner, 1920
Middle: Polish papers, Foton & Opta, 1950, 1918
Bottom: French & USA papers, Lumière & Kodak, 1920–1950
Right wall, 16 Russian Photo Bumaga papers, ca. 1940–1970
Interphoto Grand Prix / Finalists
4. F&D Cartier, from the series Wait and See
March 4–5, 2014, unfixed
Installation, unveiled during opening on March 5, 2014 – Veiled & Unveiled
Blue Sky Gallery Portland, Oregon USA, 2014
Grid central wall:
*Dassonville Co – LTD
East 42nd Street New York
Charcoal Black E
Sketching – Ivory medium contrast
Pencil sketching surface
Type B Medium weight
8 x 10 inches cut in half
Use before OCT 46
* William E. Dassonville, US photographer (1879–1957)
5. F&D Cartier, from series Wait and See
Kaunas Photography gallery, Lithuania, June 26 – July 27, 2014
The never taken images, unfixed
Detail frise, plaque photographique gélatino-bromure d'argent, Russie, 18 x 24 cm, Exp. 1960
Deutsche Börse Prize Nomination
Video
References
Rory Duckhouse, “F&D Cartier, Wait and See: A Retrospective, Ffotogallery, Cardiff, 22 June – 27 July 2013,” http://thisistomorrow.info/articles/fd-cartier-wait-and-see-a-retrospective.
Gottfried Jäger, “Was ist Konkrete Fotografie?/What is Concrete Photography?,” European Photography, no. 77 (2005), p. 312, http://www.konkrete-fotografie.de/articles%23categoryArticles?id=5.